"The government’s commitment to build more social housing is encouraging. But we’re not yet convinced that enough will be done to tackle the housing crisis in rural areas."
- Paul Miner - CPRE
A new report has found that only 20% of rural local authorities in England have set planning targets for new social housing, raising concerns about long-standing shortfalls in rural housing provision.
The study, commissioned by countryside charity CPRE and carried out by the University of the West of England (UWE), assessed housing strategies across all 84 rural local authorities in England. It concluded that the majority of councils have failed to adequately plan for the delivery of social rent homes, with several having no targets at all.
The report highlights that eight in ten rural local authorities have consistently delivered fewer homes than required since 1997. This chronic under-supply coincides with the government’s recent decision to remove rural targets for affordable housing from its new Social and Affordable Housing Programme.
CPRE says more than 300,000 people are currently on social housing waiting lists across rural England.
Researchers found that, although the government’s standard method for calculating housing need has in some areas overestimated demand, the broader trend is one of sustained under-delivery. In total, 79% of rural authorities have failed to match housing supply to household growth over recent decades. The resulting shortfalls vary widely, from 41 homes in Wyre to 28,625 in Dorset.
Between 1997 and 2023, housing defined as ‘affordable’, priced up to 80% of market value, accounted for 31% of new homes built. However, this proportion fluctuated significantly by location, ranging from 2% in Horsham to 61% in North Warwickshire.
The report also highlights a growing gap between incomes and housing costs in the countryside. Rural wages tend to be lower than in urban areas, while house prices and rents are often higher. This imbalance has left many rural workers and families unable to access housing in their own communities.
Homelessness has also risen sharply in rural areas. Government data shows a 73% increase in homelessness in rural England since 2018. In some locations, rough sleeping rates are now higher than in major cities. CPRE’s 2023 analysis found that 12 rural councils had rough sleeping levels above the national average, with seven surpassing the rate seen in London.
In response to the findings, CPRE is urging the government to take more decisive action. The charity is calling for:
social housing and affordable homes to be a mandatory condition of planning approval for all new developments
greater support for Homes England to assist rural councils in delivering new social and affordable homes
“The government’s commitment to build more social housing is encouraging,” said Paul Miner, CPRE’s head of planning. “But we’re not yet convinced that enough will be done to tackle the housing crisis in rural areas,"
"Not enough priority is being given in rural local plans to building social homes, so Angela Rayner needs to step in and make it a clear expectation that we see more genuinely affordable homes in every new housing estate in rural England.”
